Concealed fastening



May 7, 1940. F. A. CLARKE CONCEALEDFASTENING Am A Filed Nov. '7, 1938 Patented May 7, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT AOFFICE.

CONCEALED' FASTENING Yxerhandel I. Netherlands M. De Vries, Amsterdam,

Application November 1, 193s. smal No. 239,406 In Great Britain November 8, 1937 l Claim.

The present invention relates to concealed fastenings for a pair of members adapted for engagement in face to face relationship.

Concealed fastenings with a pair of vmembers have been proposed wherein headed pins secured to one member are engageable within key-hole slots formed in the other member and wherein a spring plate secured to the second member is engageable within a recess in the iirst member, the abutting engagement of the edge of the spring plate with a bounding edge of the recess preventing withdrawal of the headed pins until the spring plate is withdrawn laterally from the recess.

It has also been proposed to provide a concealed fastening. .between a pair of members wherein headed pins integral with one member are adapted for engagement with key-hole slots in the other member and wherein on relative longitudinal displacement between the members a spring pressed pin carried on the slotted member engages in a recess in the member having the integral headed pins.

Again a fastening device for securing treads on shoe heels has been proposed comprising a pair of interengageable and relatively rotatable plates, one of which has a pair of resilient and diametrally opposed tapered tongues and a pair of intermediate projections all of which are adapted for engagement within slots of the other plate, the projections snapping into their slots when the plates have been relatively angularly rotated by a suiiicient amount to complete the insertion of the tapered tongues within their slots.

According to the' present invention the engaging face of one member has connected thereto a plate cut at spaced intervals with the cut portions bent out of the plane of the plate to form a number of rigid projections and at least one intermediate resilient projection, whilst the other member has iixed thereto a plate having a corresponding number of slots, the position of one edge of the or each intermediate slot being such that it is engaged by the lree end of a resilient projection only after the members have been brought together with the rigid projections of one member opposite the end slots of the other and after the members have been relatively displaced in sliding engagement to bring the ends of said rigid projections within undercut recesses behind the edges of said end slots.

If desired, each Aplate may be mounted in a recess in the engaging face of its member in which event the depth of each recess preferably is equal to the thickness of the plate located therein. Alternately however, one plate may be secured to a non-recessed face of one member and the other plate secured in a recess of the other member which has a depth equal to the combined depth of both plates. In either event the two members lie in face to face contact when interconnected.

While the invention may be used in interconnecting various kinds of elements it is particularly suitable for connecting door handles and the like fittings to doors and other articles of furniture.

'I'he invention is more particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawing'. which shows the application of the invention to the connection between a door handle and a door, and in which:

Figure 1 is a view of a door constituting one i of the members with its plate in position thereon.

Figure 2 is a corresponding sectional view.

n Figure 3 is a view of the door handle in sec- Figure 4 is a rear View.

Figure 5 is a view showing the handle on the door but with part of the handle cut away to show the location of a spring of the plate on the door within a recess in the plate on the door handle, when the two members are interconnected.

Figure 6 is a corresponding sectional view.

In the construction according to the drawing, a plate I0 is connected to a door I I by screws I2. This plate ls cut along three sides of ya. rectangle adjacent both ends I3 and intermediate its ends at I4, the length of the longitudinal lines of cut at I4 being considerably in excess of those at I3 to permit the resilient tongue portion I5 formed between the parallel cuts at I4, to be given a length sumcient to enable it to flex out of the -plane of the plate at its free end I6 when unloaded and to take up a position in the plane of the plate only on the application of pressure uponit. The cut portions I3 are bent out of the plane of the plate and form rigid projections Il which are adapted for engagement with slots I8 cut in a plate I9 rigidly secured by screws in a. recess 2i of the base of the handle 22.

The base of the recess 2| is further cut away to form recesses 21 which extend beneath the upper lateral4 edges ofthe slots I8 to constitute unercut recesses for the reception of the projections II.

The plate I9 is also cut to form a slot 23, the distance between the lower edge 24 of said slot and the upper edge of the lower slot I8 (Fig. 4)

being slightly greater than the distance between the edge I6 of the tongue I5 and the upper transverse edge of the lower cut portion I3 (Fig. 1). 'I'he slots I8 (Fig. 4). are spaced apart by the same distance as the upper and lower cut portions I3 on the plate III secured to the door.

Where, as shown in the drawing, the plate I0 is secured to the door face II without forming a recess in said face, the recess 2I in the b'ase of the door handle 22 is of suicient depth to accommodate the plate I9 and the plate I0 when the members are interconnected.

In order to t the door handle on the door the former is brought into engagement with the latter whereby the projections I1 on the plate I0 enter the slots I8 in the plate I9 on the door handle. In this position of the parts the door handle is permitted to lie in face to face contact with the door. The door handle is then given a sliding movement relative' to the door with the result that the projection I'l engage within the undercut recesses 21 behind the upper ends of the slots I8 and when this position of the parts is reached the resilent tongue I5 enters the slot 23 with the lower edge I6 of the spring in abutting relationship with the lower edge 24 of the slot 23. In this position of the elements it is impossible to eiect a sliding return'of the door handle until the tongue I5 is retracted into the plane of the plate I0, i. e., out of the recess 23, whilst the handle cannot be pulled bodily away from the door by virtue of the engagement of the projections I'l within the undercut recesses 21 behind the upper edges of the slots I8. Accordingly the handle is rigidly locked in position on the door.

In the event of it being desired to apply the invention to constructions in which separation of the members is desired for the purpose for example, of substituting a door handle of one colour or shape by that of another, the base of the handle may have a very ne perforation. formed therein as shown at 25, whereby a pin may be inserted through said perforation to force the spring into the plane of the plate I0 and thus permit of relative sliding movement of the door handle and the door prior toA separation of the members bodily this pin hole slot 25 may lie beneath the grip 26 of the handle so that it is not readily visible to the eye of an observer. In such an event the slot may be inclined to one side instead of passing through the base of the handle in a direction normal to the plane of the plate I9.

I declare that what I claim is:

A concealed fastening for a pair of members in face to face engagement in which the flat engaging face of one member has connected thereto a thin plate cut at spaced intervals with the cut of the members being in a recess equal to the supercial area of the plate interconnected therewith and of a depth equal to the thickness' of both plates, and the position of an end edge of an intermediate slot being such that it is engaged by the free end of a resilient projection only after the members vhave been brought together With the rigid projections of one member opposite the end slots of the other and the members have been relatively displaced in sliding engagement to bring the ends of said rigid projections within undercut recesses behind the edges of said end slots.

FREDERICK ARTHUR CLARKE. 

